Somewhere in the middle
by Azurra
Summary: A Fan fiction based on the recently launched MMORPG Dragon nest. A little story about some boy love, fitting in, adventure, chasing your dreams, some drama, a little attraction grow into true love,a love triangle between two boys and a girl
1. Chapter 1

DRAGON NEST FAN FICTION STORY

Somewhere in the middle

Prologue: Out of place

-xXx-

Sitting on the comfortable couch in front of the Adventurer Guild's Master's office, I could hear men's voices coming from the other side of the door. One belonged to none other than Deckard, a hardworking, warm-hearted and somewhat macho-like man in his mid-30-ies (and not to forget that he was the very head of the guild). Deckard was born with a roaring voice, that was feared by many of the new comers and I'm not even joking here, I once felt the same way; the thunder cry that came out every time he opened his mouth was really threatening but after I had a few conversations with him, I learned that he was a really nice guy and from what I could tell he seemed to be in high spirits today. "He's a very good kid, besides, you know that you have a gap on the team, he's perfect to fill it!" the guild master laughed from the inside.

"With all my respect, sir, but you must have lost your mind!" answered a younger sounding voice, which had a nice deep, resonant and well-formed tone to it. "He is merely but a rookie! He has no experience and just came out of the training camp! You can't just assign him to my party! We're elites, we've fought many battles and we know how to survive in one. He'll be put in danger , if not slow us down!" the voice continued. Those words, even though he was trying to be polite and keep his voice down, I knew they were the source of pure discontent with the master's decisions. The man was right and had a point, as the person he was talking about was me.

In fact, I knew the younger male in the office. He was a skilled cleric, with a lot of potential and the leader of one of the elite parties in the Adventurer's Guild. People used to talk a lot about him back in the training camp. Stories about how he led his party into battle were a common topic around the fire place. Hmm…maybe I should stop addressing him as "he". Well, fine, his name is Usagi, or at least everyone calls him that way, whether that's his real birth name or not, I can't tell you but it's better than calling him just "he". In every "Usagi story " were two more heroes, or should I say heroines? A bubbly, happy-go-lucky and carefree acrobat called Azurra and a sly, mysterious and really sarcastic sorceress named Mippi.

That aside, I felt rather offended and somewhat disappointed that my future leader was having this kind of opinion about me. He was right, that I won't deny, but he should have at least given me a chance to prove myself. We were practically introduced before 10 minutes and already 2 minutes in Deckard's explanation Usagi demanded a private talk with the master. Yes, I had no special skills or anything, I was a pretty average guy, but I did win the lottery fair and square.

"What lottery?" Usagi exclaimed from the inside, as if he was reading my mind from the other side of the walls.

"Well… I decided that it would be good to increase the excitement among our new recruits!" Decard roared with his unusual voice, though he was now sounding really cheerful and perhaps thrilled. "I held a lottery event. Everyone had to draw a number from already prepared paper slips, and the ones with the lowest numbers got the chance to be part of the five elite squads of the guild. Seeing how yours is the top among the others, the person with the number 0 was to be your new member." The words were finished off with a tone of pride, Deckard was really impressed with himself, as he was the one behind the whole idea.

There was no way I could eye Usagi's reaction in that very moment but the heavy sigh that came to my ears, was enough to tell that he wasn't approving any of this at all.

"C'mon don't make faces!" the guild master cried. "Talidono is stuck in the same boat as you. Her recruit was the one with the number 1, a cleric, such as you, I believe."

"Hmph, at least she got someone with brains, while I'm stuck with a useless o. "

"Usagi,…" Deckard began his voice now sounding serious, like a real guild master's. His tone kind of surprised me, as I've never heard or seen the boss act serious. I pricked up my ears and held my breath, while keeping my seat, just so I could hear what was about to follow. "It's been 2 years since Shin left us. I know that you two were like brothers and all, but you have to keep moving. He's gone and this is your team now, you are the leader. You know that just the three of you isn't enough." The seriousness in tone was now milder, caring and understanding, you can even say father-like. As for whom Shin was, I had no idea, honestly. This was the first time I heard that name, but little did I knew that it would be one that I would hear many times to come. "Well then!" Deckard suddenly exclaimed a good ol' chuckle following after. "How about you give the new Kumpel guy a chance? He seems like a funny kid, don't you think?"

"I'll see what I can do." The cleric answered. A couple of steps followed along with a "Please, excuse me, sir." Before the door to the office, which I thought was shut for such a long time, that I was afraid itself would forget what it was made for, opened and closed with the old-fashioned creak of the hinges.

Now, before me stood a tall and well-proportioned 19-year-old young man. His hair was a dark silver color and was neatly covering up his ears, as his fringe was hiding some of the right part of his face in a sloppy kind of way. His uniform consisted of a high class cleric's armor, made from durable and comfortable to move in material. A pair of crimson eyes beamed down at me, as Usagi's voice asked me to follow after him.

I quietly obeyed, as we walked out of the guild's headquarters, which was actually a normal tavern on two levels. On our way we passed by a lot of the other members, who didn't miss a chance to greet the cleric walking in front of me. I wasn't really sure whether this was some sort of indication to Usagi's mood right now, but the very same only silently nodded to the greetings and picked up his pace, when a whole crowd headed for us. This person was really popular, were the thoughts that came to my mind but I was still to be convinced that he was a really good guy, those words he said about me in that room were pretty harsh.

Finally making our way out of the tavern, we headed down to some of the quieter areas of Calderock Village, until we soon reached a wide meadow literally hiding behind some of the buildings. My "tour-guide" hadn't even said a word throughout the entire walk and I was starting to feel that he really did hate me that much that he didn't even wanted to share a few lines with me.

"Usaaaa~!" a girl's voice yelled, before I noticed the blonde elf running at us. A wide smile was printed on her face and she was excitedly waving one arm up in the air.

"Didn't I tell you not to call me that?" the silver haired cleric sighed for the I don't know which time that day, as the elf girl came to halt when reaching us, panting and trying to catch her breath.

"Because I'm the only one that calls you that way, is why I like it!" she hurried to answer back, her voice was playful and somewhat high-pitched, but not to the point that it would annoy you to death.

I had never seen what the famous Usagi's comrades looked like, but it wasn't hard to guess that this was the bubbly acrobat Azurra. Her sky blue eyes shifted to me, as she blinked in curiosity. I was waiting for something along the lines of "Who is this?" and a kind smile but a "Uuuh! He looks like such a wimp." followed by a chuckle caught me off guard.

"Who are you calling a wimp?" I quickly raised back my defenses. For a lady, the pointy-eared-girl was acting really tomboyish and rude, completely contrasting the stories and rumors I had heard.

"Oh, look he can even talk." She pouted, folding her arms, while also giving herself a dulled expression. "So, what's the meaning of this, Usa?" she eyed the male beside me.

"This is Kumpel, he will be our new member starting from today." Usagi answered in a reserved voice, but I was almost sure that he was suffering and crying on the inside.

"Ooooh?" a voice from behind us surprised me. "I think he looks cute." It added, as I felt someone's arms wrapping around my neck, and pulling me back against something jiggling and soft. I struggled, but the other person's grip got tighter, to the point where it was choking me.

"Haha, Mippi, you can't be serious?" I could hear Azurra's pitched voice laughing.

"Yes I am. He'll make a good pet, one I'm in desperate need of." I could sense a striking British accent along with yet another deep and somewhat raspy voice. I pulled my head backwards to at least eye the female that was squeezing me against her. I caught a glimpse of imperial topaz eyes, under a thick fridge of lavender colored hair, tied up into a high pony tail.

Okay, now I was confused. Today was starting to turn out into a really freaky day. I'm not the type to complain but, this really was a lot for me. First I start off my new life as a part of the top elite squad with our leader coming to hate me and regret ever going along with Deckard's plan, and who knows, maybe he was even secretly hoping that I would just tell my chance goodbye and leave by myself. (Do not worry; I had no such intentions to begin with.) And Azurra…Oh man, was she starting to piss me off, and it hasn't even been 10 minutes. The only some-what-normal person was Mippi, at least she seemed excited to have me around.

"That's enough you two!" Usagi suddenly called. I did not know what his reason was "A wimp or a pet, or neither, he is our new member and we have to respect Deckard's words and actions, even if he randomly decides to throw inexperienced recruits among us." His words were seriously pissing me off, but the smile he cracked at the end in my direction made me see something new in him. Usagi was actually fine with this, he was fine with me, or more like… he was giving me a chance to be a part of the group.

"Usa, what are you sudd-" Azurra almost murmured, kind of shocked to hear her leader say that, but the elf girl probably realized what I had just noticed and giggled loudly. "Fine then! Welcome to the group, Kumpel! It's good to have you." she added, playfully gesturing a salute.

Mippi's grip around my neck loosened and she walked up in front of me. "Hmmm… He looks cutter from this angle." The sorceress purred in her British accent.

"Well then, Kumpel..." Usagi's deep voice talked once more. "Let's do our best as a team." The silver haired male held out his hand at me, waiting for my answer.

"Um-…" I stuttered still a bit insecure of what to think about this sudden change of heart. "Please take care of me." I managed to mumble out, before reaching out my hand. But the cleric's one stretched out further and grasped my palm firmly into a handshake.

For a moment there I felt really glad to be a part of all this, but the question of whether I can fit in quickly pushed those feelings away. That's when I made a promise to myself. I have to do everything I can to prove my usefulness and place in Usagi's party, which had grown with one more.

-xXx-

Author Comment: First of all I'd like to apologize for any mistakes or typos you see. I scanned real quick this before posting and I believe I edited most of them.

Second, I want to say that I do not own Dragon Nest or any NPCs, towns or monsters that may appear in this FanFic e.x. Deckard, Calderock Village and so on...

Third, I'd be vary happy to see some reviews to this story. I usually write in my mother language, and this is my first time writing a story in English that's above 1k words, not to mention that I've never written FanFics before and that this is a totally new world for me.

Fourth, This was made for my dear friend Pam (Hey, Pam *waves*). She "forced" me into it!...I just wanted to say that... Anyways, the character names belong to the both of us, as well as the concepts to their personalities and all, as they were based off of our player characters in the MMORPG.

Fifth, and hopefully last, I'd like to thank to all of those who read this.

Thank you! =3


	2. Chapter 2

"Usagi, let's sleep together!" I exclaimed. "It's fine! There's nothing for us to be embarrassed of! Just two guys sharing a bed, nothing else!" I continued my voice steady and serious, despite the huge amount of alcohol in my body, as I looked the other in his ruby eyes.

Before any more foul thoughts occupy your lovely mind, let me at least explain the situation behind these words. After I was kindly accepted in the group, Mippi suggested going to one of the local pubs to celebrate. Of course, I had no intensions of turning down her idea, seeing how I was about to end up drinking for free that day. At first Azurra was against it, but after Usagi decided that it was a good chance for us to get to know each other better, we quickly headed off for one of the pubs. And oh man, was that a night of embarrassment, I was never going to forget.

"What can I get you?" a jolly female waitress approached the table we had sat on. She was wearing a tight black mini-skirt, a rose shirt and a flurry apron on top. Her voice was sweet and friendly, from what I could hear, trying to ignore the noises around our table. The pub, like every other day was full, and drunken old people were dancing, yelling and laughing on the top of their lungs.

"Hm…We'll have four beers and some snacks along with that." Mippi quickly answered, leaving the impression that she had been here many times before. The waitress quickly returned her a smile and scurried back to the bar.

"So, Kumpel, hun, tell us about yourself." The sorceress, which was actually sitting next to me, leaned her head on my shoulder and slid a finger down my chest. I shivered at her unexpected approach.

"Erm…I…um…" were the only sounds that came out of my mouth. Don't judge me! If a woman's breasts were rubbing against your arm, you'd be at a loss for words as well. Yes, Mippi was older than me, but that didn't mean she didn't have the looks!

"Hmmmm… why don't you start with the lottery?" I could barely hear Azurra's voice above the cackle a bunch of drunkards were making at the nearest table. The elf girl was sitting opposite of me, next to Usagi; she seemed rather strange, I mean I didn't have the chance to get to know her that well, but her unwelcoming expression from before was now softened by a pink color on her cheeks; her blue eyes would wander from time to time, staring at the cleric next to her. I surely didn't consider myself as an expert at this but, I was blind, and the feelings she had for the team leader were clearly visible.

Sadly enough, Usagi seemed unaware of the girl's attraction. He wasn't even that interested to hear my story. To me it looked like he was deep in thought, as if he had fled to another world. His eyes were blank and it almost seemed like he had ignored all the noise and happenings around him.

"Here they are! Sorry for the wait." I hadn't noticed when, but the waitress walked back to the table and rested four huge mugs full with beer in front of each of us. For a second there I questioned myself how it was possible for such a tiny girl to carry these heavy and massive glasses, but seeing how she kicked the drunkard, who was trying to squeeze her behind, moments after she had put down a plate with snacks and made her way to the bar, I quickly got my answer.

"Well…" I began, after taking a swing at the mug. My listeners got ready to hear my part on all of this…I wished I could say that. The truth was…well…Azurra was still too caught up in Usagi's awesomeness, the way she stared at him made me think that I'd see stars emitting from the male's body, her gaze was so tense, that after a while she wasn't even trying to hide it. Our hero, on the other hand, was still floating somewhere else, showing almost no signs of life, aside from the occasional sips he took from his drink. At least Mippi, who had now turned herself to me, holding her glass in hand, was showing some interest. At least it was better than nothing.

I told her (Mippi…come on, let's face it, the others were completely ignoring me) about the way I got to learn about the lottery, my fortune of actually having drawn the lowest number, and from there on…my mouth went on fire. Before I knew it, I was telling her everything about myself; my childhood, my dreams, my goals…everything. The noises around us were getting louder, but my talking was getting longer. Soon I couldn't see anything before me, yet I continued to open and close my mouth like a maniac. It felt like talking about those stupid things, that hold no meaning, yet you just can't help but brag about. Not only do you feel somewhat satisfied but also relieved after doing so. Another half hour passed and the world began spinning and drowning in all the laughter and music around me, until it reached a certain point and it all faded into black.

-xXx-

"There is no way, I'm letting him sleep in my room!" Azurra's voice woke me up.

"Well, I'd love to let him spend the night in my bed, but it'll be too small for the both of us, and it'll be a shame to let the poor child sleep on the cold floor." Mippi's deep voice appeared.

"Well he has no choice." The elf girl replied.

"Usagi, the bed in your room is a king size, right? Can you let him sleep with you then?"

"Nonsense!" I could hear the blonde exclaim. "Two guys sleeping together, that's plain wrong Mippi!"

"But there is nothing else we can do!"

"Just leave him be, he's too drunk to remember that we left him on the floor, anyway!"

My eyes shot open at the last words. I can't explain why myself, maybe I found the irritating or unacceptable, I'm not sure but whatever it was, it was enough to fully awake me.

"Ha! You are the one who's talking nonsense!" I yelled at the elf girl. "Usagi, let's sleep together! It's fine! There's nothing for us to be embarrassed of! Just two guys sharing a bed, nothing else!"

To tell the truth, I was unaware of where exactly we were but I was sitting on what appeared to be an arm chair, located in something that looked like a mini lobby.

"Uh-huh" something that sounded more like a moan than an answer came from around me. A little turn to the left made me realize that Usagi, the hero of all heroes, was looking like shit on the chair next to mine. His face was paler than usual and the whites of his eyes were now red, he was barely capable of holding his head up and he appeared to snore while still somewhat awake.

"For God's sake, Mippi! Look at them! I can't even recognize Usagi." Azurra began again.

"All the more reason! They won't remember anything, besides, they are already falling asleep, so you don't have to worry about a thing."

"Worry? What do you mean?" the elf girl sounded puzzled now.

"Ah, never mind. Just help me carry them to the bed."

With those words I dozed off once more. The next time I woke up was again only for a few short minutes but this time it was completely different.

My eyes shot open, only to meet a thick darkness before them. I was still feeling light-headed under the influence of the alcohol but I could still tell that someone had wrapped their hands around my body underneath the sheets. A gentle whisper was caressing my ear, purring "Shin" in the black silence that was reigning in the room. "Shin" another moan followed, I couldn't really tell what there was about it, but something made me feel slightly turned on. In just a few seconds my body temperature rose drastically, to the point where sweat drops were rolling down my forehead. It was unbearable, I couldn't breathe at all. "Shin" I could hear for the third time. The person that was holding me from behind shuffled to squeeze me harder, resulting in something firm rubbing against my back.

"Wh-What are you doing?" my words sounded more like a desperate call for help rather than a question. I didn't get my answer; instead I got yet another whisper of the same name. The person's hands quickly made their way to my neck, as he got on top of my back, the stiff thing from before now rubbing against my buttocks. "W-Wait!" I yelled, a wave of unexplained panic going through me. Trying to escape from this position, I used my body strength to push the other one off of me, but his grip around my neck was getting tighter and tighter.

"I let you go once, I won't let you get away again." The voice from before sounded rather familiar now. It was deep, somewhat gentle, like the song of a thousand bells, yet it was filled with grief, pain and loneliness.

"U-Usagi?" I tried to guess.

With one powerful motion, the white haired cleric, grabbed my shoulder and turned me around, so that I was now facing him. It was him from what I could tell in this darkness. His clothes were mysteriously gone and from the wet feel of his skin, it was clear that he was sweating more than I was. He didn't answer this question either; he just lowered himself to my face, his lips locking up with mine.

I felt a strange wave of emotions going through me with that kiss. Yes, the thought that I was doing this with another guy was clawing the back of my mind, yet I was feeling curious. I won't lie; it didn't feel at all that good. The smell of alcohol was unbearable, but thanks to my deafened senses under the effect of the very same liquid, I was able to imagine it was a semi-good experience. In just a few seconds everything disappeared, vanished, maybe it was because I was drunk, or perhaps it was this close nonexistent distance between our bodies, that made me feel secure.

"Shin." His breath caressed my lips as he had inched slightly away, allowing the both of us to catch up on air. That name again. I didn't know who it belonged to, but to Usagi I was none other than that person in that dark night. The cleric's hands wandered down from my neck. His touch was burning at my skin, leaving a trail which would soon cool down, allowing tiny electrifying waves to go up and down my body.

Before that, it hadn't come to my mind, but it was only until then that I realized that any signs of my clothing on my body were gone. I was not only shirtless, my pants and underwear were also missing; and the older male's hands were approaching in on my private area.

"Usa-" I was cut off by his left hand, which reached out for my neck again, his fingers tightening around it. His body size and strength were larger and more superior to mine, so all the struggling I attempted was rendered useless; even trying to kick him away had no effect, while his other hand had already started to tease me. My body wriggled at the touch, any last remains of my sober sanity letting loose and just running off. A moan, perhaps a two or even more escaped my lips, as my erection began to grow under the tickling of the other's finger tips.

It was all lost. My mind was now occupied with exploring these new emotions, this new world of first-time sensations.

"Relax; otherwise I won't be able to please you." Usagi murmured in my ears, having leaned in to my closer to my face, without me noticing.

I didn't listen to his words, and instead I let my hands search for the other's body, exploring the unfamiliar to them skin.

"You don't listen, do you?" his breath fondled against my ear shell. As he reach out to grab my hand, which had already remembered all the well-formed muscles on the other's stomach, he guided me between his thighs, finally getting to feel the cleric's stiff member again.

Confused and not knowing what to do, I let the older one guide me once more, his palm squeezing mine, which was now moving up and down his shaft. Doing this, Usagi continued to work with his other hand for my pleasure.

Strange, somewhat disgusting, yet amazing and out of this world, I handed myself over completely to everything my body was sensing, leaving my mind go completely blind.

Gasping, moaning, feeling each other, we both reached the peak together. The white-haired boy flopped on the empty space beside me. The two of us were still catching our breaths and my entire body felt so tired and powerless, the itching on my eyes foretelling that it won't be long before I fall asleep.

Wrapping his hands around me, Usagi pulled me in closer with a "Shin…" once again.

Having transformed myself into someone else by the influence of an unknown number of beers; that was pretty much the way I spent my first night with the new party.

Regret? That wasn't the right word for it. I was excited and curious by the one and only leader of the 1st elite squad, but I was also somewhat scared; scared to know that tomorrow I'll just be plain old Kumpel again.


	3. Chapter 3

Feeling my throat unbearably dry was the way I woke up. My head felt like someone was cutting through it with a chainsaw and I could care less where I was, let alone what I had done last night. I quickly jumped out of the bed, slipped on my pants, which were lying on a chair along with the rest of my clothes, and searched for the kitchen. On my way I bumped into a few objects, which I didn't bother looking at to see what they were and the small glass table in the living room didn't help me much, either, as I unintentionally hammered my foot in it, almost tripping over. Soon I reached what looked like the kitchen. Resting my eyes on the sink, I literally threw myself at it, drinking directly from the flow, as if I had never seen glasses or knew what they were used for.

"G'mornin'." A yawn came over from the door. Turning myself to it, I saw a half-asleep Azurra standing by the doorway, still in her PJs.

"Morning…"I replied briefly before going back to the amazing cold water, that was slowly starting to clear my mind and chase away my dizziness.

"Is Usa-chan awake? He wasn't in bed." The blonde elf grabbed a glass from a nearby cupboard, now standing next to me.

Usa? Did she mean Usagi? Images rushed into my head; my body quickly remembering all about those new sensations. Before I knew it my heart was pounding like mad and I stepped away from the sink, feeling how blood rushed into my ears.

"Erm…I don't know…haven't seen him."

"He's in the shower." Mippi popped into the room from nowhere. The sorceress, which was dressed in a thin, almost see-through, dressing gown approached closer, casually wrapping her hands around my neck. "How was your night, sweetie? I'm really sorry for having to set you up into the leader's room, but I thought you would feel offended to sleep on an uncomfortable couch."

"I would even prefer sleeping on the floor than having to sleep beside another guy!" I would've said in any other scenario, but in the current one…I was having no regrets whatsoever. I've never checked out dudes in my life or have an attraction towards the same sex, yet I wasn't feeling that grossed out by what we did. We were just two men, helping each other out. "Actually, I can't remember anything." I answered. The important part was that neither of the two girls was showing any signs on knowing about what happened. So they didn't hear us, at least that was one a good thing.

"No wonder. " Azurra was now sipping from her glass. "You were both drunk out of your minds. " her voice indicated that she was really irritated by that.

"Aw come on now, Azu. We didn't know that Kumpel can't handle alcohol…as for Usagi…well…I've never seen him get drunk from just one mug." The lavender haired female giggled, releasing me and heading to the fridge.

"Speaking of the devil." the elf girl smirked, her gaze locked on the door to the kitchen. "Morning Usa-chan!" she exclaimed cheerfully, skipping to the male that was having water drip from his white hair, a few drops rolling down his exposed abdominal, a mere towel covering him up from the waist down.

My heart skipped a beat, a wave of embarrassment quickly overflowing me. This was really awkward. I remembered the way his voice sounded a couple of hours ago, the way he had touched me, the way he had held me. A chill went down my back and my body shivered slightly.

"Good morning, leader, hope you didn't mind Kumpel sleeping in your bed." The older female greeted, before drinking directly from the carton of milk she had found inside the refrigerator.

"Good morning to you too." The cleric replied in a monotone voice. "I didn't mind, in fact I barely noticed him." I see, so he didn't remember anything. For a second there, I felt somewhat disappointed; then again, maybe this was for the best. "As for you…" he turned towards me, keeping his place. "I want you to gather your belongings and leave. I don't know what Deckard was thinking but this has gone too far. I'm not willing to pretend that I'm happy with your presence here. Just…leave and forget all these stupid stories about being part of the elite party." His words weren't rushed, even though they damn felt like they were. Yet, his sudden attempt to chase me off was uncalled for; I was actually startled and had no idea what to say or do. Was I supposed to take his words seriously?

"Come on now, Usagi! What's up with that out of the blue?" Mippi snickered, taking a seat at the table. "The boy had a good time last night. He got a bit out of control with the beer but who cares, it's not like you handled it perfectly." A smirk teleported on the woman's face, her imperial topaz eyes staring playfully at the white-haired man.

"That wasn't a joke and this has nothing to do with what happened in that pub!" not a normal answer but a fearsome growl came from the cleric. He was mad and the way the sorceress was toying with him was something Usagi wasn't going to tolerate.

There was something really fishy in this entire scene. Why would he kick me out, when he seemed to have finally accepted this idea just a few hours ago. Unless… That had to be the only explanation. Usagi hadn't forgotten. He remembered what we did and now he was trying to erase all the evidence, not only his memories but me as well.

"A smart move." I thought, letting a grin stretch my lips. I never hid it, I was a wimp. There were a lot of times when I would just stay quiet, leaving other people to play with my opinion and dignity. But there was something wrong here. For the first time I felt different. Something from the inside was calling out, screaming, shouting, wanting to get out and fight there for me. My guts were telling me that I had to stand my ground. "I apologize, leader, but I'm not going anywhere." Without a signal or a warning the words just flew out of my mouth.

"What?" Azurra's chin almost hit the ground. Usagi, on the other hand, only lifted a brow. The sorceress on the table behind me chuckled. None of them was expecting this.

"I believe you didn't hear me right." The cleric paused just to give me an inquiring glare. "Leave."

"I don't understand the reason behind all of this! I didn't do anything wrong. At least before you try to throw me out, give me a chance to prove myself!" I wasn't talking anymore, I was yelling.

"A chance? You don't need one. Your future with this group is death. I can't have a light-headed rookie on my team. I will not stand and watch an idiot get himself killed out there!" Usagi had lost his cool as well. The other two females were keeping quiet now, except for Mippi, who was continuing to giggle here and there. "If you think this is a game you're wrong!" Man, he was making this tough.

"Look, it's my life and it's my own decision whether I'll throw it away or not. Even if I do die, I will never blame you for it!" There was no way I was going to back down now.

"I'm not asking you, if you'll blame me. I am held responsible for the people who fight beside me! I am your leader and I know what's best for you. You are gonna die on your first mission, that is why I'm commanding you to leave this place and forget all about it!" he approached me with just a few steps, poking my chest with his index finger.

"Ahahahahaha!" Mippi cackled. "Usa, chill out. Leave the boy be, he didn't go through training camp just to get turned down by you. You are getting too paranoid over this. Besides, displaying threats and shouting in a team can't be any good signs." Her British accent and that laid-back attitude, the female was pretty relaxed about all this. "Now, Kumpel, sweetie, why don't you go get cleaned up? Azurra will show you the bathroom, while I have a talk with angry Usa here." She smiled friendly, pointing to the other girl, which pouted in her direction.

Silently following after the elf, we left the kitchen and went down the hall.

"What did you do to get Usa-chan so mad?" the blonde questioned, while we walked through the lobby.

"Nothing that I can think of."

We quickly reached our destination, where I was shown how to use the shower. It wasn't that hard, even an idiot was capable of doing it, so it didn't take too long to get the hang of it.

"Thanks." I gave the female a faint smile, which she greeted with an awkward brow lift. Well, I guess she really didn't like me.

"I'll leave a towel and a pair of clothes by the door for you." And with those words the blonde walked out of the bathroom, leaving me take off the mere pair of pants and stepping under the water stream, allowing it to work its magic and wash all the negative feelings and thoughts away. My hands were a bit shaky after I talked back and defended myself for once. I replayed that moment several times in my head, trying to convince myself that that was the right thing I did. Nope… it didn't work. Each time I thought back, I was starting to regret it. Maybe I just had to keep quiet and leave but then…I wondered…what would've happened to all my dreams and my achievements up to that point.

Thinking about that was really hard and frustrating, that is why I tried to get myself cleaned up faster, so my mind would get distracted from all those unpleasant thoughts. Finding, the items Azurra had said to leave me I wasted no time to dry off and get dressed. She had provided me with some of Usagi's clothes. How I knew? Well… his smell was all over the cloth and…

Wait? Did I just tell him apart by his scent? Man, what was wrong with me? I hit a palm against my forehead, silently putting on the shirt and trousers, before walking in the lobby.

"Hey." I was greeted by the elf, which had also changed her clothing. She was now wearing her armor from yesterday, casually sitting on one of the armchairs.

I glanced at the kitchen door, only to find it shut. Mippi's and Usagi's voices were coming from inside but I couldn't really tell what they were saying. All I knew was that they were in the middle of this really furious conversation, yelling and arguing with each other.

"It would be better if we leave the house to those two…." Azurra decided to use the little silence that had suddenly appeared on both sides of the kitchen door. "Wanna come with me to the blacksmith? I have a bow that should be coming in today." She suggested followed by a shrug.

I decided to take her offer on. Quarrels were really not my thing, besides, I didn't felt like staying and listening to one of the greatest heroes getting yelled out by one of the craziest mages I've ever met.

So, in absolutely no time, the beautiful archer and I headed out to the house of a man called Corin. Yup, he was the village's blacksmith. A greedy old man, who always sold his stuff at a bit of a high price, but man was it worth it. Swords, maces, wands, bows. Everything that was to go through his hands was pure gold. Well not literally but you get the point. A crowd around the anvil, he had next to his furnace was something usual for this picture. Corin's business was very successful, even though he wasn't the brightest crayon in the box.

Diving into the crowd, Azurra shoved her elbows and hands into the people before her, making her way like mole to the tiny old man, who was hammering a sword. Pretty scary, I know. "Old man, where is my bow?" she asked forgetting all greetings and formalities.

"Oh, it's you." Corin sighed with a bitter expression on his wrinkled face, him not taking even the slightest glance off of his work. "I'm sorry Azurra, but I already sold it to someone else."

"WHAT?" the elven girl exclaimed, causing all the people around us to turn to her with puzzled faces. Some even inched slightly away. "Corin! You said that this was an order just and only for me!" she continued her voice being ever so raised and angered.

"Well, I did but someone gave me a better offer." the blacksmith continued to shape the sword.

Scowling and folding her hands, the blond female, shifted her weight from one leg to the other. "Who did you sell it to?"

"…Her." Corin, still not even daring to look at us, as if he would harm us or we would harm him, if he did, tilted his head to one side, pointing in a direction. Following his sign, my look wandered off along the crowd, as I noticed a silver haired elven goddess dressed in golden armor, a delicate tiara placed on her head, as her ruby eyes were staring down at the beautiful crossbow in her hands.

"Talidono!" my companion was already walking in the said direction, yelling in the middle of the street, as if she was insane… too bad she wasn't though.


End file.
